Rabu Paradise
by Aerysa
Summary: -Song-spired Series- Song #11: New Jack Swing by EXILE. Though they never did meet, what if they were -supposed- to?


Written in "celebration" of the upcoming one-year anniversary for _A Demon's Demand_. (Lol.)

Based on the lyrics of New Jack Swing by EXILE. Another Song-spired story where it roughly follows the theme of the song since there's no real story to the lyrics. haha, this is my way of "forcing" Haruko to listen to EXILE :P

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**Rabu Paradise**

As he arrived at his destination and glanced up at its name illuminated in gaudy neon lights, November could only question the sanity of his superior. This was not a place he would want to be – ever – if he had any say about it. Not to mention, the environment was more suited for April's temperament. Even so, it was his duty as he had been directly named as the operative for the mission.

Despite his loathing to be here, he had no choice but to line up as many others did; a common practice when trying to gain access to a local nightclub. Before he could contemplate further regarding his circumstances, he was jostled from behind by a boisterous group. He turned to glance at them, not pleased with their rowdiness on top of the excessive noise they were producing.

By the looks of it, they were partially drunk, if not further along into that declining state. A couple of their male members seemed ready to start a fight, but they must have seen something that warned them off from that scenario. None of them spoke out any accusing words, yet rather glanced away sheepishly.

Avoiding an unnecessary altercation, November turned back to face the line in front of him. He didn't feel particularly menacing and he was certain none of the irritations he felt showed on his features. In fact, he appeared impassively bored, as he always did. Then again, that fact alone could be menacing enough.

Unhealthily and annoyingly, he found his eyes drawn to the club's name – Rabu Paradise. Inwardly scoffing, he did not believe such a place existed; especially not at a place of this calibre with its shady-looking exterior and potentially shady-looking interior. Love was an emotion he would not associate with the environs of a club where there was free-flowing alcohol, loud music and hundreds of people mashed up against each other.

As for paradise, he was equally skeptical of such an existence. All in all, the place was ineptly named. As if that itself weren't bad enough, they had to purposely mutilate it using a combination of Katakana – Rabu – and English. He couldn't think of anything worse for a name.

He obediently shuffled along with the others as the line slowly progressed forward. He also dutifully produced identification – fake identification – as he reached the front of the line an hour later. At least, it was truly an hour when it felt more like five. Though the bouncer gave him a questioning glance, November ignored it and headed inside as per the instructions he had been given. Had they never seen a single, male foreigner enter such a place? It wasn't like he had come by choice anyways.

Actually gaining entrance into its hallowed walls was just as disgruntling as he had imagined it to be. People shoved him trying to get to the cashier when they had entered in a line. And those leaving the building were equally inconsiderate, ramming their way between those fighting to get in. If it wasn't for the mission, he would never have heard of such a place _and_ would not be participating in the human sardine experiment he currently found himself stuck in.

"That's 4000 yen," the man stated when he reached the glass-panelled hole in the wall which served for money transactions.

He slapped his money onto the counter without saying anything in response. Once the money was counted and stored away in the cash box, he found a coloured wristband being strapped around his wrist. Even this was irritating because he felt like he was being tagged as an idiot who attended such an event along with all these other idiots. Needless to say, he was _not_ impressed with how his evening was turning out.

Finally gaining entry, he allowed himself to follow the flow of the crowd in front of him. He had no idea how he was supposed to find his contact when it felt like there were thousands of people packed inside a space that only fit a couple hundred at most, uncomfortably. Eventually, he broke free from the pack as he noticed their first pit stop – the bar.

The very environment was enough to cause him to be muddled headed – people squished up against him on all sides and the loud, pounding music which seemed like it would burst his eardrums at any second. He did not need to add a mind-altering drink to the formula; a formula which was already beginning to reveal that its answer was disaster, utter and complete disaster.

His age did not help matters because he was certain he had long outgrown this phase, but the fact that he was a contractor bound by the rules of rationality was the cherry on top. A mission of reconnaissance – so he had been told. How and where? Absolutely nothing about the place was conducive for that type of work.

Even if he located his target, he would have a difficult time getting close enough. He couldn't imagine anyone being stupid enough to pick this place for the sharing of information; not when it was impossible to hear another over the music without shouting. At the moment, he could barely hear himself thinking as he tried to make a game plan on how to proceed now that he was inside.

First things first, he relinquished his location which was smack-dab in the middle of impatient, drunk people who were anxious to get further inside. Instead, he relocated to a side wall where he had some security; the coolness of the wall being a welcome comfort in the face of sweaty people sandwiched next to him.

His immediate thought was to high-tail it and get the hell out of here. There was no possible way he should be expected to complete a mission like this. He wasn't a coward or a quitter though. He would not let a bunch of humans, no matter how many of them there were, intimidate him. Somehow, he would figure a way around this dilemma. In the mean time, he would do his best to scope out the place and keep an eye open for his target.

Calmly sweeping his gaze over the throngs of people, he had no clue how he would succeed at this rate, even with his height advantage. All he could see were the tops of heads bobbing around like apples bobbing in a barrel of water. Even so, he kept a vigilant watch. The faster he located this woman, the faster he could get out. The clamour of people's shouting mingled with the heavy pulsation of music was doing a number on his hearing and he was certain that he was going to be deaf before the evening was over.

Despite his continued search, his efforts were completely in vain; until that moment when it seemed a stroke of divine intervention interceded on his behalf. The crowds around him parted to form a clear pathway and at the very end of it, there she stood. Time stood frozen and in that instant, he understood everything – why he had been chosen and why it had to be this location.

The answer was obvious in the enticing sway of her hips as she danced along to the music, her back towards him. Her body was wrapped in a form-fitting black mini dress with its low back showcasing the delicate curve of her spine. Inexplicably, every fibre of his being tightened with awareness and he found himself walking towards her as if he were under a spell. He had seen a photograph, but it hadn't been enough to prepare him for the physical encounter.

Surprisingly, the crowds didn't close back around him as he made progress towards his quarry. Or if they did, he didn't notice, his eyes locked on the woman in front of him. He was finally a few steps away when her body began to twist in its dance, as if she had noticed his attention. With those final steps, she was facing him with a smile on her lips as he reached her.

Brown eyes met his blue ones and he felt a spark of attraction being exchanged between them. The photograph he had been shown did not do her justice; most importantly revealing nothing about her seductive body as it had only been a headshot, not unlike those attached with resumes. A woman of beauty, intelligence, and the capabilities of enjoying a good time – a deadly combination.

No words were spoken as he continued to stare at her, all sense of rationality blown out of the water by his overwhelmingly tangible response to her physical presence. Her smile widened and his gaze was drawn to the soft, sensuous curve of her berry-coloured lips. Further movement drew his gaze lower still as she held her hands out to him. His natural response was to raise his hands to meet hers; his palms facing upward as a sign of submission.

That undercurrent continued to flow between them as her fingertips glided languidly across his palms, before she fully grasped his hands. In a trance, the only thing he noticed was her – her eyes and the way her body had not stopped moving to the music – music he had no perception of. She rocked his arms back and forth, trying to lure him into the dance with her, yet he only remained woodenly fixated on the spot where he stood.

Despite her best efforts, his body did not respond to her gentle guidance. Finally, he noticed a glimmer of mischief in her eyes as her smile took on a hint of coquettishness. She stepped into him as her hands moved upwards along his arms to take hold of his wrists. Her body shimmied and shook in beat to the music as she slowly slid his right hand to her hip, and then the left with the same prolonged teasing.

Some sort of reaction must have shown on his face because she giggled lightly and the sound was just as enticing as the curves of her body and the delicate features of her face. She rewarded him with a brilliant smile and he had a distinct sensation that it suddenly became a little difficult to breathe. And she wasn't done with him yet; not even close it seemed.

With his hands on her hips, following along with every sway of its movement, she returned the favour. Her hands slid languidly along his arms, every bulge of muscle leaping from the intimate contact. When she reached his elbows, that contact transferred to the side of his body, following that same advancement until her hands rested on his hips, as his did on hers. He felt the gentle push of her hands, teaching him to move along to the music as she did.

Though his body had the stiffness of a marionette, it seemed to be pliable under the proper tutelage. It was like their current positioning transferred every movement from her fluid, flexible body directly into his stiff, unmoving one. In no time, she had him dancing along with her. He even started to notice the music as her movements changed to match the different songs, and his body following to keep up with the guidance hers provided.

When she felt that he had benefitted fully from her methods, she relaxed her hold on his hips and transferred her hold so her arms were wrapped lightly around his waist. Since she felt comfortable with such intimacy, he followed her example, inadvertently pulling her closer at the same time. Once again, she rewarded him with that brilliant smile of hers.

He felt a momentary pang of regret for doubting the place's namesake. Though he wouldn't label this moment as love, he had the distinct feeling it was closer to paradise, if not paradise itself; to hold a woman with goddess-like beauty intimately close and know that she returned the regard of attraction.

Still they did not speak, just two bodies swaying as one to the rhythm of the music. November couldn't tell how much time had passed, but she eventually rested her head against his chest. As he breathed in the faint floral scent of her shampoo, he had the overwhelming sensation he was being drawn deeper into paradise. There was no possible way he could have prepared for such an out-of-body experience; so far from anything he could imagine – something that overwrote the very core of his existence.

He responded in kind by drawing his hand further up her back, to rest it on that exposed expanse of skin. Though his palm rested there, his fingers itched with the need to stroke along the silken smoothness of her skin. She sighed softly, a sound of pleasure which nestled firmly into the depths of his heart as his thumb caressed her.

Whether he had been the one to initiate or it had been her, he didn't know. Yet eventually it registered that they were no longer standing, dancing in the middle of the dance floor. They still danced along, but they were situated in a corner far removed from the rest of the crowd. Nothing seemed to register beyond the beautiful woman who was fully content to stay within the safety of his embrace.

She seemed to have the same sense of enlightenment as she slowly pulled away to glance up at him. The wonder and amazement in her eyes was no doubt mirrored in his own. Everything about their meeting had been magical; a notion he would have scoffed at if he were still standing outside, waiting to gain entry. Yet here he stood, embracing the most amazing woman he had the chance to meet, fully intoxicated by her presence.

The movements of their bodies eventually slowed to a standstill as they became lost, staring into the depths of each other's eyes. Her arms relinquished the hold around his waist. Rather, her hands glided along to the front, slowly across his chest before she settled for wrapping her arms around his neck. Her fingers teased lightly at the hairs on the nape of his neck.

"Kanami," she whispered as she leaned into him.

He had known her name all along as it had been part of the debriefing process. Actually he knew a lot more about her than that, but none of it mattered at the moment. Testing the feel of her name on his lips, he repeated it to her in an equally hushed voice. She must have liked what she heard because she gave him that smile which set his heart thumping madly in his chest.

"Jack," he stated, returning the favour.

"… Jack… I like it," she informed him after testing the sound of it.

He liked it too, more than he could possibly imagine. He didn't think that he would mind if that was all she ever said to him. There was a certain sultriness to the way his name rolled off her tongue when really, that name was as common as grains of sand on the beach shore. In response to the formal introductions, whether he pulled her closer or she leaned into him, they couldn't tell.

He settled his lips over hers as it was the only response available to them at this point. The contact was tender and sweet; the pinnacle to all else which had happened so far. Lost in the taste of her, the faintest hint of cigarette smoke registered in his mind. Given his aversion to his obeisance, it should have turned him off, but actually had the opposite effect. It made her seem that much more perfect because he was certain she would get the same taste from him. Beyond the attraction, they had something in common, despite how minute it was.

Though they mutually pulled away from the kiss, their lips clung to the barest of touch. He managed to croak out her name in a voice that sounded nothing like his, but she silenced him with another kiss; equally tender and sweet as the first. He tightened his hold on her as her fingers tangled into his hair. Again they pulled away before things progressed any further. Loosening his hold on her as her feet settled firmly on the floor, Kanami glanced up at him smiling and he returned the smile.

Her arms remaining where they were, she sighed softly as she settled her head against his chest. In turn, he pulled her closer as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. Despite the loud music of the club, silence was the only participant in their corner, cocooning them in the preciousness of their moment. Nothing else mattered except the fact that they were still locked in each other's embrace.

Slowly, gradually, music began to seep back into their corner. Though they refused to abandon their location and the seclusion of it, they began their second round of dancing. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony, like they had been created for the sole purpose of dancing together. November had the feeling that there would never be anything as exquisite as this – holding Kanami safely within his arms.

Vaguely in the back of his mind, it was apparent that he had utterly failed his mission because the only information he had gained was the enlightened knowledge of her presence and the divine perfection of holding her close. All else was insignificant in comparison. Not to mention that understanding of everything else but her faded from existence when she gazed into his eyes.

Whatever there was in the future, he didn't care. He only knew about her and how it was being together with her, now. If time would just stand still, keeping them confined in this moment forever, there would be nothing better. Tonight, she would be the only thing and everything that penetrated into his mind – the luxury of her nearness, the feel of her embrace, the sweetness of her lips, and anything else she was willing to offer.

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**AN**

Unfortunately, or fortunately (whichever category you fall into), there isn't actually a nightclub named Rabu Paradise. It was made up solely for the aesthetic purposes of fitting the story. And for those of you who don't know Japanese, the name of the place would look like this - ラブParadise. Katakana is the writing system they use when they are adopting foreign words into their language. Just in case anyone wanted to know! XD

But seriously! I know it's obviously not canon, but I think Kanami and November would make such a cuuute couple! And you probably only haven't noticed this opinion of mine if you've never read any of my fairytale stories... Lol, cuz they're my "default" couple for king/queen.

Oh, and a line I especially like from the lyrics which pretty much sums up the whole story (from November's POV) is "I wouldn't be a man if I just stayed here and watched like this". Love it!


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